Chapter 120: A Chaotic Situation

Chapter 120: A Chaotic Situation

Sherlock used Apparition to arrive directly in Diagon Alley.

A week ago, he had learned that Harry was staying in a room at the Leaky Cauldron. Harry had written a letter and sent Hedwig to inform him about what had happened.

After getting his wand from Ollivander, Sherlock went to the Leaky Cauldron to visit Harry, who had been staying there for almost a month.

"At the time, I really thought I was going to be expelled. But the Minister actually said, 'We won't expel a student for using magic to turn his aunt into a balloon.'"

Harry's face still showed disbelief as he recounted this to Sherlock.

"I thought he was a reasonable person, so I asked him to sign my Hogsmeade weekend permission form. But he refused, saying I was safest at school."

Since arriving in this world, Sherlock had never met Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge in person. However, he had learned from various sources that Fudge was a politically cautious man. He seemed to consider the potential impact of his actions on his position before doing anything.

For example, he did not pursue Harry for using magic outside of school, especially since the target was a Muggle.

Now, the entire Wizarding World knew that Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban, and everyone was concerned about Harry Potter's safety.

If anything happened to Harry in the current situation, Fudge would face intense public pressure.

"You were indeed very unlucky that night", Sherlock recalled. "I was out dealing with something and wasn't at home."

He did not lecture Harry about it.

By that point, Harry must have been at his wit's end.

Otherwise, he would have snapped long before. So Sherlock didn't say anything about Harry running away on his own, as it would have been pointless.

"It's fine, Professor", Harry shook his head. "I've actually been feeling pretty good staying at the Leaky Cauldron for the past two weeks. The Weasleys and Hermione are staying here too. We're all going to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters tomorrow to board the train to school."

After chatting with Harry for a while, Mr. Weasley called Sherlock aside to a corner of the Leaky Cauldron's main hall, intending to speak to him privately.

"I heard from Kingsley that you've changed a lot after a year of teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts."

Without further ado, Mr. Weasley looked at Sherlock with a surprised expression.

"I heard from the kids about what happened at Hogwarts last semester. Molly and I were very worried about you, Sherlock."

Sherlock smiled.

"Although the process was a bit nerve-wracking, I think the outcome is good. At least, it has helped me understand some things more clearly."

"Yes, we're all very glad to hear you feel that way. Or rather, we've been waiting for this day for a long time", Mr. Weasley said with relief.

After a brief chat about this, Mr. Weasley shifted to the main topic.

"You must already know that Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban", he said solemnly.

Sherlock nodded.

"In July, while Harry and I were traveling in France, we received a letter from the Ministry of Magic, telling us to return Harry to his aunt's house as soon as possible. At that point, I already suspected that this had a lot to do with Harry. Black escaped from Azkaban to find Harry and avenge his master."

Mr. Weasley deliberately lowered his voice.

"The situation is far more complex, Sherlock. You must keep a close eye on Harry at Hogwarts. Under no circumstances should he go looking for Black!"

Sherlock's face turned surprised.

He glanced around to ensure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation. He knew the upcoming information was a closely guarded secret.

Mr. Weasley's face grew somber and pained.

"Sirius Black, before the Potters' tragedy, was Harry's father James's best friend. He was even asked to be Harry's godfather when Harry was born."

Sherlock held his breath, waiting for Mr. Weasley to continue.

"At the time, a prophecy about a Chosen One defeating the Dark Lord was widely known in the Wizarding World. Harry's birth perfectly matched all the conditions in the prophecy. Everyone advised the Potters to go into hiding as soon as possible."

They did exactly that. James and his good friends used a powerful Spell—the Fidelius Charm. They entrusted the location of their hiding place to only one person. If the Secret-Keeper never revealed it, even if James and his family were hiding right under the Dark Lord's nose, he would never find them.

But everyone close to James could guess who he would choose as his Secret-Keeper—his best friend, Sirius Black!

Then, the Dark Lord found James and his family, leading to the tragic events that followed. The only possible explanation for how the Dark Lord discovered James and his family was that the person James trusted the most had betrayed them.

It was on that very day that James's other friend, Peter Pettigrew, went to confront Black, demanding to know why he had betrayed James. Black used an extremely powerful Explosive Charm, reducing Peter to just a finger, and causing the deaths of over a dozen Muggles in the vicinity!

In the end, Black was arrested. He made no denial of his crimes, not even during the Wizengamot's trial, and was immediately sentenced to life in Azkaban.

Sherlock listened to Mr. Weasley's account of the events in their entirety.

He finally understood why Mr. Weasley wanted him to keep an eye on Harry and prevent him from seeking out Black privately.

If Harry learned the full story, given his character, he might indeed try to find Black and avenge his parents.

Mr. Weasley's expression was grave.

"So, if possible, you must keep a close watch on Harry at school. Black might deliberately reveal this to him to provoke him into seeking him out."

Sherlock nodded solemnly.

"I understand. I will do my best to keep an eye on Harry at Hogwarts and prevent him from taking any risky actions."

"Having you watch over him is the best we can hope for", Mr. Weasley said with a nod.

Sherlock stayed at the Leaky Cauldron a bit longer, discussing the current chaotic state of the British Wizarding World with Mr. Weasley. Then, he left and returned home.

Sherlock did not entirely believe the story Mr. Weasley had told him. He felt that things were never that simple and that there would likely be some unforeseen twist. For instance, he was still unsure if the rat that had escaped was indeed Black.

Regardless of how the story unfolded, improving his own abilities would never be a bad idea.

After obtaining fifty wands from Ollivander, Sherlock legally purchased a bag that had been enchanted with a reinforced Extension Charm to store the wands.

That same night, he returned to the place where he had previously experimented with the Explosive Charm. He spread out the fifty-one wands, each one floating in mid-air under the control of Control Magic.

Controlling such a large number of wands with precision was not something that could be mastered in a single attempt. Sherlock knew he would need diligent practice to achieve proficiency in controlling each wand individually.

Currently, even the simple task of moving one specific wand among the fifty-one was difficult, often resulting in the movement of four or five wands at once.

There were no shortcuts; only through practice could he become proficient.

He then attempted to cast various Spells, including the Petrification Charm and the Stunning Spell. As expected, there were no issues with the casting itself.

However, when casting Spells, all fifty-one wands could only perform one type of magic at a time. The key to magic lay in the Wizard's mental focus on the Spell. Sherlock could not simultaneously think about the Petrification Charm's petrifying effect and disarming an enemy, as he only had one mind.

If he tried to do both, neither Spell would be successfully cast.

Sherlock only made the attempt to see if it was possible. If he could truly cast different Spells with multiple wands at once, he would be unstoppable in the Wizarding World. The number of wands he could control would be equivalent to having an entire Wizard army at his disposal.

Spells like the Patronus Charm and Explosive Charm were too risky for Sherlock to attempt here.

Casting such spells with fifty-one wands at once would create far too much commotion.

If he tried, someone nearby would likely call the authorities, reporting strange phenomena or even a battle between two armies.

As long as he could successfully use one wand with Control Magic, the other fifty would pose no problem.

After finishing his experiment, Sherlock returned home and spent the last night of his holiday there.

The next morning, he packed some essential daily items and clothes, then used Apparition to arrive in Hogsmeade.

He chose the same small alley where he had landed after his Apparition tutoring class.

As he stepped out, Sherlock sensed something was amiss.

The streets of Hogsmeade were eerily quiet.

Not a single pedestrian was in sight.

As the only wizarding village in Britain, Hogsmeade usually bustled with tourists even without the presence of Hogwarts students.

But now, looking down the main street, it seemed like the town had turned into a ghost town, completely deserted.

Furrowing his brow, Sherlock stared at the unusual scene when a three-person Auror patrol team appeared from around the corner. They noticed him immediately.

"Sorry, sir, please don't move. Stand still and cooperate with our inspection."

The three Aurors approached Sherlock, wands at the ready, on high alert.

Sherlock made no protest and cooperated with their investigation.

"Can you tell us your name and the reason for your visit to Hogsmeade?"

"Sherlock Forrest, Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts. I'm on my way to the school from Hogsmeade."

One of the Aurors, clearly the team leader, looked up and carefully examined Sherlock's face.

"Yes, I've seen your photograph in the newspaper, Mr. Forrest. You can proceed to Hogwarts, but please try not to linger in Hogsmeade."

Sherlock frowned and asked, "What's going on?"

The Auror team leader didn't try to hide anything.

"Last night, there was an attack here. The owner of Quill of Acceptance, Johnson, was attacked. It's a serious matter, compounded by recent events involving Black. Hogsmeade is now under full lockdown, and Dementors will be stationed here to catch Black. A lot of trouble has hit this town. If it's not necessary, avoid coming here until the situation is resolved."

He sighed, then prepared to leave with the other two Aurors to continue their patrol.

Sherlock suddenly asked, "Was the attacked owner in a state similar to someone who has been kissed by a Dementor?"

The three Aurors stopped in their tracks. The team leader turned to Sherlock with a serious expression.

"How do you know that?"

"Don't worry. Kingsley Shacklebolt, from your department, is a friend of mine. I helped with a similar case a while ago."

Hearing this, the team leader's demeanor relaxed slightly.

"But wasn't this case handed over to Aurors from Germany? Why did another attack happen?" Sherlock inquired.

Understanding that Sherlock was privy to some inside information, the team leader sighed and said, "The case was indeed handed over to the three German wizards. They are quite capable and even predicted that the next attack would occur near Hogwarts. However, the attack still happened, and we had to deal with the aftermath. Director Scrimgeour has given the German wizards an ultimatum: they must catch the culprit before the next attack, or we will file a protest with the German Ministry of Magic."

Sherlock could hear the frustration in his voice.

They had no leads on the culprit operating in Britain and had to allocate most of their resources to the hunt for Black.

Even if another attack occurred, he couldn't afford to push the German Aurors away, as no one else could take over the case.

The situation facing the British Aurors was dire, and Scrimgeour was under immense pressure.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end